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INSTAGRAM ADS

Visual-first advertising for Australia's most engaged social platform.

Instagram has over 11 million Australian users and the highest engagement rates of any major social platform. Instagram Ads put your business in front of highly engaged audiences through Feed, Stories, Reels, and Explore — the visual-first formats that drive discovery, brand awareness, and purchase intent.

Instagram Ads — formats, targeting, and where they fit in your marketing strategy.

Instagram Ads are paid advertisements served across Instagram's placement surfaces — Feed (square and landscape posts), Stories (full-screen vertical), Reels (short-form video), and Explore (discovery feed). They are managed through Meta Ads Manager and use the same targeting infrastructure as Facebook Ads — demographics, interests, behaviours, location, and custom audiences. Instagram is primarily a visual discovery platform, making it most effective for businesses with strong imagery or video: trades businesses showcasing completed work, ecommerce brands with compelling product photography, and service businesses building local brand presence through authentic content. Instagram Ads benefit from the same Pixel and CAPI tracking setup as Facebook, and campaigns can serve across both platforms simultaneously through Meta's automatic placements.

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11 million Australians. The highest engagement in social.

Instagram's engagement rates are consistently higher than Facebook across most content types — users on Instagram are in a discovery mindset, actively scrolling for interesting content and products. For businesses with visual appeal — trades businesses with striking before/after photography, ecommerce brands with lifestyle imagery, professional services with credibility-building content — Instagram is where brand impressions convert into purchase intent. According to Meta's own research (2025), 70% of Instagram shoppers use the platform to discover new products, and 87% say an influencer or creator post has inspired a purchase decision. For B2C businesses with a defined visual identity, Instagram is the strongest social discovery channel available.

11M+
Australians active on Instagram monthly — second only to Facebook for social reach in Australia (Meta, 2025)
70%
of Instagram shoppers use the platform to discover new products and brands (Meta, 2025)
higher engagement rate on Instagram compared to Facebook for the same content type — audiences are more actively engaged (Sprout Social, 2025)

Every Instagram placement, used strategically.

Instagram has four distinct placement surfaces, each with different creative requirements and audience behaviour. We match format to objective, not a one-size approach.

FEED ADS
Single image and carousel in the main feed.

Instagram Feed ads appear as native posts in the main scroll. Square (1:1) and landscape (1.91:1) formats for single image; multiple images for carousel. Feed ads allow more copy than Stories and suit consideration-phase messaging — showcasing work portfolios, product ranges, or service benefits with enough context to drive a click.

STORIES ADS
Full-screen vertical between user stories.

Instagram Stories ads appear between user stories in full-screen 9:16 vertical format — 15-second videos or static images. With 500 million Stories viewers daily globally, Stories is a high-reach placement with zero surrounding content competing for attention. Best for time-sensitive offers, brand awareness, and short-form video that hooks in the first 2 seconds.

REELS ADS
Short-form video reaching Instagram's most engaged users.

Instagram Reels ads appear within the Reels feed — the fastest-growing placement on the platform. Reels users are actively seeking entertaining and informative short-form video, making this a high-attention placement for businesses that can deliver value in 15–30 seconds. Job transformation videos, how-to clips, and behind-the-scenes content perform strongly.

EXPLORE ADS
Discovery placements for new audiences.

Instagram Explore ads appear in the Explore feed — where users actively browse content beyond their existing follows. This is a cold-audience discovery placement, reaching people who are in active discovery mode but have not yet encountered your brand. Lower competition than Feed for new audience acquisition.

INSTAGRAM SHOPPING
In-platform product discovery for ecommerce.

Instagram Shopping ads tag products directly in posts and Stories, allowing users to view product details and price without leaving Instagram. For ecommerce businesses, Shopping posts and ads create a seamless path from discovery to purchase — particularly effective for fashion, homewares, beauty, and lifestyle categories.

CREATIVE DIRECTION
Instagram requires a different creative approach than Facebook.

Instagram audiences are visually sophisticated — they scroll past low-quality imagery instantly. We advise on creative direction specific to Instagram: authentic over polished, vertical-first, real environments over studio shots. For trades businesses, professional job photography (well-lit, clean composition) on Instagram builds credibility that generic stock imagery cannot.

Instagram rewards businesses with strong visual identity.

Trades and home services with compelling work photography

A beautiful kitchen renovation, a perfectly landscaped garden, a freshly painted exterior — these are Instagram content. Trades businesses with high-quality job photography can build strong local followings and run Ads that showcase work quality directly to homeowners in their service area.

Ecommerce businesses in visual categories

Fashion, beauty, homewares, food and beverage, health and wellness, fitness equipment — Instagram is the primary discovery channel for visual product categories. Shopping ad integration creates a native purchase flow that reduces friction between discovery and conversion.

Younger demographic targeting (18–35)

Instagram skews younger than Facebook — it is the dominant social platform for 18–34 year olds in Australia. For businesses whose ideal customer is in this demographic (fitness, food, fashion, entry-level home services), Instagram is the primary social channel to invest in.

Businesses building personal or brand credibility

Professional services, coaches, consultants, and specialist tradespeople building personal brand reputation use Instagram to demonstrate expertise and build trust. Video content showing process, explaining concepts, and demonstrating results builds the credibility that converts followers into enquiries.

A one-page audit of your instagram ads opportunities.

No call required. Tell us your business and goals — we send back a written audit within 3 business days.

What works alongside Instagram Ads.

Facebook Ads

Run Facebook and Instagram from the same campaign

Learn more →
Meta Retargeting

Re-engage Instagram viewers who did not convert

Learn more →
Meta Shopping

Product discovery and purchase for ecommerce

Learn more →
Google Ads

Capture the search intent that Instagram awareness builds

Learn more →
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Common questions about instagram ads

Who uses Instagram in Australia and is it the right channel for me?+

Instagram has over 10 million monthly active users in Australia, skewing 18–44 with strong female representation. It performs best for visual categories — fashion, food, beauty, fitness, home, travel, and lifestyle services. If your product or service has a strong visual component and your customer is under 45, Instagram is a natural fit. We assess audience alignment before recommending it.

What ad formats work best on Instagram?+

Reels deliver the highest organic-style reach and cost-efficient CPMs for brand awareness. Stories work well for direct response with swipe-up CTAs. Feed ads drive product discovery and consideration. The right mix depends on your objective — we typically test Reels and Stories first, then scale the format that drives the lowest cost per result for your specific goal.

Can I run Instagram Ads separately from Facebook?+

Instagram Ads are managed through Meta Ads Manager alongside Facebook. You can select Instagram-only placements within a campaign, but the account infrastructure is shared. This means you benefit from Meta's cross-platform optimisation and the same Pixel and CAPI tracking that powers Facebook campaigns. Most accounts run both together unless there's a specific reason to separate.

How important is creative quality on Instagram?+

Creative is the single biggest performance variable on Instagram — more than targeting, bidding, or budget. Ads that look native to the platform consistently outperform polished brand ads. A well-scripted smartphone Reel will often beat a studio-produced video. We advise on the brief and format based on what's currently stopping thumbs in your category.

What results should I expect from Instagram Ads?+

For consumer services in competitive Australian markets, cost per lead typically ranges $20–$60 depending on the offer and audience. E-commerce ROAS benchmarks usually sit between 3–6x once campaigns are optimised. We set realistic targets at the start of each engagement based on your category, offer strength, and landing page quality — and report against those targets monthly.